Fantasy Football 101:  How to Dominate Your Draft in 10 Easy Steps

1. Find the breakout BEFORE the breakout

Drafting in fantasy football is all about VALUE.  The skill, and the fun, in fantasy football drafts is to identify those players who will emerge as fantasy stars by the end of the season.  Let others chase the inflated draft positions of Josh Jacobs or TJ Hockenson.  Rather, identify the next Josh Jacobs - a running back who will significantly outplay his draft position. 

One name to consider is Chicago Bears RB Khalil Herbert, who has performed admirably in place of an injured David Montgomery and now essentially has the backfield to himself.  Remember, the Bears elected to have Montgomery walk and passed on the top RBs in the draft (they did draft Roschon Johnson in the fourth round) and only replaced Monty with a near-minimum contract offer to D'Onta Foreman.  Similarly, the next Hockenson breakout at TE could be the CURRENT Lions rookie TE Sam LaPorta, who has shined in offseason workouts in what should be an explosive Lions offense. 

2. Use but don't misuse the average draft position (ADP)

ADP should be a data point in your decision-making on draft day but should not be the sole criteria.  Don't let ADP determine who you should take.  Rather, look at all the position groups and select a player whose ADP is within range.  The key is to be aggressive in getting the players you have targeted at the appropriate value. 

The mistake many owners make is to wait on a player because the ADP is lower than the draft slot not understanding that he may not be available with your next pick.  Come out of the draft with the players you are excited about...not those that you took because the consensus rankings or ADP dictated their selection.